DRAWING - A DYING SKILL - posted on 4th December '14

Drawing, a skill once regarded as the core foundation of any artist is in severe decline. It's demise could possibly be due to art schools globally pushing for new technologies and seeking new directions, hence regarding drawing as passé.

Embracing new technologies does not make the artist better at creating high quality work, but the mindset seems to sway towards being ‘in’ and ‘creatively sexy’. Hence drawing is now no longer pursued and this skills set is dying out.

In the Renaissance period, drawing was the basis of the three arts: painting, sculpture and architecture. Unless you could draw, you would not do these things very well, and it still holds true today. People in the art world have this idea that learning to draw is conservative and somewhat a waste of time. But the opposite is only true! Learning to draw will give you the freedom and confidence to do these very things. It is both a creative and intellectual discipline sharpening the observation skills of the practioner.

Many new generation of aspiring artists do not possess the basic knowledge of perspective and tonal values – these are the most essential skills to art making, be it painting, digital art or even film making. It’s made worse as many art schools have theory-heavy curriculums and the arts industry increasingly perceive drawing as ‘old fashion’.

Artists who practice drawing for the sake of drawing, benefit by seeing the world in a different way, being used to paying attention to the fine details.

In order to keep this skill from dying out, perhaps more emphasis and time spent in the life drawing studio, learning still life and landscapes will save it from extinction.